Ruling prompts Murray State board to vote again on president's contract

The Murray State University Board of Regents will hold another vote on whether to renew President Randy Dunn's contract after Attorney General Jack Conway ruled the board met illegally before the first vote.

Murray President Randy Dunn. Photo courtesy of Murray State University

The Murray State University Board of Regents will hold another vote on whether to renew President Randy Dunn's contract after Attorney General Jack Conway ruled the board met illegally before the first vote.

Regents Chairman Constantine Curris, himself a former president of MSU, issued a statement Wednesday regarding the board's Friday meeting.

"In the days following the March 15 meeting when the board of regents voted not to extend the president's contract beyond its June 30, 2014, expiration, questions have arisen as to whether that decision was hastily or improperly considered," the statement reads. "In order to reinforce the board's responsibility to act with integrity and in as open and transparent a manner as personnel issues permit, I am asking the board at its May 10 meeting to vote anew on the question of extending the president's contract beyond its expiration date."

Conway ruled that the state's Open Meeting Law was violated on March 14 when a quorum of the board discussed board business at a social gathering at the home of the one of the regents.

"After six weeks and a finding by the attorney general that he violated the law, I'm pleased that Chairman Curris has publicly committed to address these issues," Deckard said Wednesday. "We'll be monitoring this to determine next steps."